SoCon Baseball recaps for February 27, 2008
APPALACHIAN STATE 18, WAKE FOREST 8
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. ? Appalachian State University scored six runs in the top of the first inning and never looked back en route to an impressive 18-8 win at Wake Forest on Wednesday afternoon.
Appalachian’s 18 runs were it most versus a member of the baseball-rich Atlantic Coast Conference since ASU joined the NCAA Division I ranks in 1972. The victory is just Appalachian’s third in its past 49 meetings with ACC competition, but it’s second in the first five games of the 2008 campaign.
The Mountaineers scored early and often in the win, putting six runs on the scoreboard in the first, four in the fourth, three in the fifth, two in the sixth and three more in the seventh. All nine members of the starting lineup recorded at least one run and one hit and seven of the starting nine drove in runs. The damage could’ve been even worse, as the Apps left 11 men on base in the triumph.
Third baseman Isaac Harrow, left fielder David Rubinstein and second baseman Wes Hobson led Appalachian’s 18-hit onslaught with three hits apiece. The trio drove in four, three and two runs, respectively.
Starting pitcher Aubrey Edens overcame a three-run first to surrender just five runs over five innings to earn his first win of the season.
Appalachian (3-2) returns to action this weekend when it hosts Canisius for a four-game series at Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium in Kannapolis, N.C. The set opens with a single game on Friday at beginning at 3 p.m.
THE CITADEL 3, UNC WILMINGTON 1
CHARLESTON, S.C. ? Seven different players recorded one hit each while Nick Sprowls recorded his first win of the season after only throwing two pitches in one-third of an inning as The Citadel topped UNC Wilmington Wednesday afternoon at Riley Park, 3-1.
The Citadel (2-2) scored three runs on seven hits while committing one error in the game. UNC Wilmington (1-4) left seven runners stranded while only scoring one run on seven hits.
Stephen Harrold (0-1) was credited with the loss for the Seahawks while Matt Reifsnider (1) earned his first save of the season for The Citadel.
Sprowls (1-0) was the benefactor of good timing as he was credited with the win after only throwing two pitches and facing one batter. Sprowls entered the game in the top of the seventh and the game tied, 1-1, relieving Raymond Copenhaver with two outs and UNC Wilmington’s Mike Rooney on first. Rooney stole second to give the Seahawks a runner in scoring position before Sprowls would force centerfielder Jason Appel to ground out to short to end the inning.
Sprowls would not return after that two pitch performance but the Bulldogs would score a run in the bottom of the seventh before Brett Bull could replace Sprowls, giving Sprowls the win.
The Citadel offense got going in the fifth inning as Reifsnider, who spent most of the game playing first base, singled to right field. After a Kyle Jordan strike out to give the ?Dogs their first out, Matt Simonelli singled up the middle to send Reifsnider to second. Chris Swauger followed with a single to center, sending Reifsnider across the plate from second and giving the Bulldogs the 1-0 lead. UNCW yanked starting pitcher Kyle Lewis after that run, replacing him with Harrold, who forced Sonny Meade to ground out to first. Harrold intentionally walked Richard Jones to load the bases with two outs and the Seahawks got Jones out at second as Bryan Altman hit a fielder’s choice to short.
Wilmington responded in the next half inning as Raymond Copenhaver replaced starting pitcher Chris McGuiness. Copenhaver gave up a single through the left side to Appel before Daniel Hargrave laid down a sacrifice bunt to send Appel to second. Appel stole third on the next pitch and scored after Mark Carver drove a single into right field.
The Citadel’s second run came in the bottom of the seventh as Simonelli lead off the inning by drawing a walk. After Wilmington replaced Harrold with Cameron Roth, Chris Swauger drew a full-count walk to put runners on first and second. Sonny Meade laid down a sacrifice bunt down the third base line, allowing Simonelli and Swauger to advance to third and second, respectively. Simonelli was sent home as Richard Jones hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield, giving the Bulldogs the 2-1 advantage.
In the bottom of the eighth with two outs, Conrad Kellahan scored the final run for The Citadel after Kyle Jordan hit an RBI-single through the left side into left field.
The Citadel returns to action this weekend as the Bulldogs host the 2008 Charleston Firefighter Memorial Challenge presented by the Charleston Crab House. The round-robin style tournament features Louisville, North Carolina State and North Carolina A&T. All policemen, firefighters and EMTs in uniform or with their badges and their immediate families get free admission as The Citadel ? in conjunction with the Charleston RiverDogs ? honor the Charleston Nine.
FURMAN 4, CHARLESTON SOUTHERN 2
CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Ryan Lee belted a two-run seventh inning home run to highlight a 3-for-4 performance at the plate, and Jay Jackson hurled eight strong innings in his first start of the 2008 campaign to lead Furman to a 4-2 win over Charleston Southern in baseball action Wednesday afternoon at Buccaneer Field.
The win evened Furman’s record on the season at 1-1 while Charleston Southern fell to 1-3.
Lee, a 6-foot-3, 260-pound freshman first baseman and scholarship offensive guard on Furman’s football team, singled in his first two at bats before getting hit by a pitch in the fifth. Later in the seventh, with Furman trailing 2-1, he delivered a line drive two-run home run down the right field line to give the Paladins a 3-2 lead.
Jackson (1-0), meanwhile handcuffed Charleston Southern’s bats for the better part of eight innings, allowing only four hits and two runs, including just one earned, while striking out six. The former Christ Church Episcopal School standout, walked only one batter in claiming the win.
Nick Karow came on the ninth with a two-run lead and allowed a couple of hits before securing the save with a strikeout of the Buccaneers’ Cory Trudell to end the game.
Stew Brase (0-1), who took over in relief of Buccaneer starting pitcher Tyler Thornburg in the seventh, absorbed the loss for Charleston Southern after surrendering two hits and three runs, including Lee’s decisive two-run shot.
Lee’s three hits highlighted Furman’s seven-hit attack. Charleston Southern banged out six hits, including two each by Nick Chinners and Steve Antolik.
The Paladins took a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning. Joey Rodgers led off with a walk and advanced to second on a Connonr Lind sacrifice and to third on a groundout. Lee was then hit by a pitch, and John Paterson followed with an RBI single up the middle that plated Rodgers.
Charleston Southern answered in the bottom of the frame with a pair of runs to grab a 2-1 advantage. Antolik doubled to right center to lead off and advanced to third on a sacrifice. After Mark Perry walked, Jake Cox delivered a bunt single to score Antolik. Furman shortstop Connor Lind’s errant throw to first base in an attempt to complete a double play hit the Buccaneers’ Brantley Meirer near first base, allowing Perry to score the second run on the inning. Jackson limited the damage, however, by retiring Tom Burkett on a groundout to third to end the frame.
In the decisive seventh, Furman’s Bobby Hubbard reached on a error to lead off in front of Lee, who followed with a line drive home, two-run home run down the right field line to give the Paladins a 3-2 advantage. Paterson kept the inning going with a single, and pinch runner Cameron Allmendinger advanced to third on a hit-and-run groundout before coming home on a Campbell Lewis sacrifice fly to make it 4-2.
Furman opens its home season on Saturday when it entertains New Jersey Tech in a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m.
ELON 9, EAST CAROLINA 6
ELON, N.C. -- The Elon Phoenix baseball program equaled its best NCAA Division I start by improving to 6-0 with a 9-6 non-league victory over the visiting East Carolina Pirates on a cool afternoon from Latham Park. The only other time Elon began the year 6-0 since moving to Division I play for the 2000 season was in 2005. The Phoenix entered the day as one of just five 5-0 programs in the country. East Carolina dropped to 1-3 on the year.
The Pirates jumped on top with a four-run third which began when Justin Bristow was hit by a 1-2 pitch with one out. Harrison Eldridge followed by drawing a 3-2 walk from Elon starter Jesse Lewter before Ryan Wood lifted a bomb down the leftfield line to clear the bases. It was Wood's second homer of the year. Stephen Batts kept things going with a bunt single and went to third on a Kyle Roller single. Jamie Ray's fly ball to left-center was caught for out number two, but Batts tug up from third to score the fourth ECU run.
Elon answered right back in the bottom of the third. Chris Dove drove a 2-2 pitch to left-center for his first long ball of the season. With one away, Pat Irvine drew a 3-2 walk which was followed by Bennett Davis' first homer in an Elon uniform. Davis' shot went to left and pulled the Phoenix within 4-3.
The Phoenix grabbed its first lead of the game by scoring three in the fourth. Mike Melillo led off with a double to left before pinch-hitter Mike Lobacz reached on an error to put runners on the corners. Harry Austin delivered his first career hit, a double down the line in left to plate Melillo with the tying run. With two outs, the Pirate intentionally walked Irvine to load the bases, bringing Davis to the plate. Davis drove home two with a line drive single past a diving Batts at first to put Elon on top 6-4.
Cory Harrilchak replaced Lewter in the seventh and promptly struck out Eldridge and Wood. Batts began a Pirate rally with a single up the middle before Roller evened the score at 6-6 with his first home run of the year, a shot that cleared the wall in right.
Neal Pritchard extended his hitting streak to six games with a single to left to begin the bottom of the seventh. An attempted pick-off of Pritchard at first by the Pirate catcher sailed into rightfield and allowed the runner to advance to second. Pinch-hitter Ryan Adams layed down a sacrifice bunt and reached on a fielder's choice as ECU unsuccessfully attempted to retire Pritchard at third. An infield single off the bat of Lobacz allowed Elon to regain the lead as Pritchard cruised home.
The Phoenix added its final two runs in the eighth. The first scored on a Chase Austin sacrifice fly while the second crossed the dish when Pritchard reached on a fielder's choice with runners on the corners.
Eldridge reached on an Elon error to start the top of the ninth, but was quickly erased when Wood grounded into a double play. Batts was retired on a ground out to end the game.
Despite allowing just four runs on five hits and striking out six over 6.0 innings, Lewter left with the lead but did not figure in the decision. Harrilchak (1-0) picked up the victory with 1.0 inning. Daniel Britt threw the final 1.2 innings and did not allow a hit or a run to earn his first save of the season.
Josh Ruhlman (0-2) was tagged with the loss after giving up two runs on one hit and two walks in 2.0 innings of relief work. Matt Laney started the game for the Pirates, but was chased after surrendering four runs on five hits in 3.0 innings.
Davis drove in a career-best four runs and went 2-for-4 with one run scored for Elon. Donny Jobe also extended his hitting streak to six games with a 1-for-4, one-run performance.
Both Batts and Roller had two hits for the Pirates while Wood drove in three and Roller two to pace the offense.
The Phoenix will look to keep its winning streak alive during a three-game weekend series with Delaware State. Game one will begin Friday at 4 p.m. from Latham Park.
GEORGIA TECH 1, GEORGIA SOUTHERN 0
ATLANTA, GA. ? Justin Davis (Pulaski/Metter) pitched brilliantly in his first collegiate start, but a two-out base hit in the bottom of the 10th inning was the game winner as Georgia Southern dropped a 1-0 decision at 22nd-ranked Georgia Tech Wednesday. The Eagles fell to 1-4 overall while Tech improved to 5-0.
Jason Hanigar started the 10th inning with a single off Kyle Kamppi (Savannah/Benedictine). Jeff Rowland dropped down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runner, but Kamppi fanned Patrick Long for the second out. Kamppi went ahead 1-2 on Charlie Blackmon, but the junior designated hitter lifted a shallow flyball to left centerfield. Jonathan King (Athens, TN/McMinn County) made a hard charge on the ball and appeared to make a diving catch, but the ball popped loose when he fell and rolled to the ground.
The Eagles had several opportunities to plate a run, the latest coming in the 10th. Kyle Blackburn (Marietta/Walton) went opposite field on a shot that left fielder Chris House lost in the lights and fell in for a double. The Eagles could not advance the runner on a sacrifice bunt. Jeremiah Parker (Carrollton/Carrollton) was hit by a pitch to put two runners on and only one out. Brad Rulon (2-0) got out of the jam following a groundout and fielder’s choice.
Georgia Southern stranded seven of its 14 runners through the first three innings. Tech threatened in the third, loading the bases. Davis struck out Long and got Luke Murton on a groundout to third baseman A.J. Wirnsberger (Tuscaloosa, AL/Paul Bear Bryant) to end the threat.
Davis worked out of another jam in the sixth inning. Murton drew a one-out walk. With a hit-and-run on Tony Plagman lifted a short fly to Chris Shehan (Strasburg, PA/Lampeter-Strasburg) in right field. Shehan had plenty of time for a throw to Parker at first base for an inning-ending double play.
Davis struck out eight in six innings of work. The redshirt-freshman right-hander gave up three hits and walked two. Blake Nation (Brooks/Starr’s Mill) set career-highs in another impressive relief appearance, striking out five in 2.2 innings of work. Kamppi (0-1) was officially charged for one run on two hits in one inning, striking out one.
The GS pitching staff fanned a season-high 14 batters while allowing just three walks. Matt Miller (Canton/Woodstock) was 2-for-3, including his team-leading fourth double to start the game. Brian Pierce (Roswell/Roswell), Parker, King and Blackburn accounted for the other four hits.
Tech out-hit the Eagles 7-6 as seven different Yellow Jackets recorded a hit. Starter Brandon Crumpton gave up two hits, walked five and struck out four in four innings.
The Eagles return home this weekend for a three-game series against Towson. Friday night’s (Feb. 29) first pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.
VIRGINIA TECH 14, DAVIDSON 10
DAVIDSON, N.C. - Sophomore Jay Honeycutt was 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs for the Davidson baseball team, but Virginia Tech used a six-run eighth inning to post a 14-10 victory over the Wildcats at Wilson Field Wednesday afternoon.
Chase FitzPatrick was 3-for-6 with a double and two RBIs for Davidson (2-3), and Hugh Eden collected four hits and scored two runs. Brett Shore had three hits on the afternoon, while Danny Weiss had two, including a double.
Anthony Sosnoskie was 3-for-4 with two RBIs for the Hokies (2-3), while Austin Wates and Sean O'Brien had two hits each.
Trailing 9-8, Virginia Tech struck for six runs in the top of the eighth inning. O'Brien had an RBI single, while Ty Hohman and Matt Blow each drove in two runs with a single.
Davidson got one back in bottom of the frame as Tommy Piacenza walked, went to third on a Weiss double and scored later on a wild pitch to make the margin 14-10. After a scoreless top of the ninth, Eden led off the home half of the frame with a single, and Kayne walked with one out. But David Cross got the last two batters in order to end the game.
After Virginia Tech scored two runs in the first, Davidson came back with three in the bottom of the inning with the help of a Honeycutt RBI single and a sacrifice fly from Piacenza.
The 'Cats struck for five runs in the second on the strength of a two-run double from FitzPatrick and a two-run homer by Honeycutt and opened an 8-2 cushion. Each team scored a run in the third, but the Hokies put five up in the fourth to trim the lead to 9-8.
Davidson is back in action this weekend as the Wildcats host Niagara in a three-game series. Doubleheader action Saturday begins at 1 p.m. at Wilson Field.